Lhokseumawe – Thousands of people have fled their homes and taken refuge in and around US oil company Mobil Corp. (MOB) complex in troubled Aceh province after soldiers were deployed in their villages, officials and witnesses said Wednesday.

T.F. Sani, coordinator of a fact-finding team set up by the local government, said they fear violence because of the troop presence. He couldn't provide details on what the soldiers were doing to create such concern. "They are taking refuge around the Mobil Oil complex," Sani said.

Some witnesses said about 9,000 people had fled 16 villages in two districts east of the North Aceh capital Lhokseumawe.

A security officer at the Mobil complex in Tanah Luas, about 24 kilometers east of Lhokseumawe, said about 1,000 villagers had taken refuge within the complex.

"The exodus began Tuesday and they are now being sheltered under tents on the soccer field," added the officer, speaking on condition of anonymity. He added that many more villagers sought shelter at mosques and public facilities outside the complex.

Aceh, about 1,750 kilometers northwest of Jakarta, is one of three Indonesian provinces hit by separatist conflict. The others are Irian Jaya, a former Dutch colony on western New Guinea, and the former Portuguese colony of East Timor.

The rebel Free Aceh Movement, fighting for a separate Islamic state in the predominantly Muslim province, escalated its violent activities to coincide with Indonesia's June 7 parliamentary election.